Glass Half Empty
by Dragon's Ember
Summary: Duke and Mallory bond over drinks. Epilogue to "The Secret Box of Duke L'Orange."
1. The Bar

_Previous Story: The Secret Box of Duke L'Orange_

* * *

Duke parked the duck-cycle. Mallory got off, removed her visor and eyed the small building they had arrived at. It looked old and neglected, and the sign, which was badly in need of a new paint job, said "Glass Half Empty". Somewhere nearby, a pack of dogs was barking incessantly as a motorcycle's roaring engine echoed through the streets.

Not that any of this was shocking. When Duke had invited her to join him for a friendly drink, he told her the place was rundown, but he had failed to mention exactly where it was. It just so happened to be in what was known as the bad side of Anaheim, where most of the buildings were old warehouses and the chances of getting mugged (or running into a rogue Saurian) were alarmingly high.

Mallory glanced at Duke. "So this is the place?"

"It's nicer inside," he said. "Somewhat."

Mallory didn't get her hopes up, but she had no intention of complaining. Duke opened the door for her with a humorous little bow. "Madame_._"

As they stepped inside, Mallory was immediately hit with the smell of cigarettes. The interior was more appealing than she expected, if only slightly, but practically empty. There were a couple of bikers at the pool table, who were too engaged in their game to notice the newcomers. The only other occupant was the bartender. He looked up from the glass he was polishing and, seeing the ducks, smiled politely. "Evening," he said.

"Hey, Hank," Duke replied.

"Be right with ya," said Hank.

Duke seated himself at a table in the corner, and Mallory sat across from him and looked around. The old paint on the walls was chipping in some places and gone completely in others, and she was almost positive she saw a rat disappearing into a dark corner. But aside from this, it was surprisingly tidy and, in some odd way, almost inviting.

"So, what do you think?" Duke asked her.

"Well," she said slowly, "it's definitely quiet."

Duke smiled, almost apologetically. "I just like the privacy, ya know?"

"Yeah, I get that. It's actually not that bad."

The light above them started flickering. Duke simply turned the bulb, and the flickering stopped. "Anyway, the drinks are good," he said. "And I'm buyin', of course."

"You don't have to do that."

"I invited you, drinks are on me."

"Yeah, but after today–"

"No, no, forget that. Please?" He looked at her intently, and she just nodded. "Now, what did you want?"

"I don't know. I might just get a soda or something."

"I thought the whole reason you rode with me was so you could drink."

"Yeah, I'm starting to rethink that."

"Well, I'm not sayin' go nuts or anything. You did say you'd take it easy."

"That's what I said at the Stanley Cup party, too. Remember?"

Duke chuckled. "I think _everyone_ remembers, sweetheart." Mallory glared at him, blushing under her feathers, and he promptly wiped the smirk off his beak. "But that was champaign," he pointed out. "Maybe a little too much of it. Why don't you just get a beer? We could even split one if you want."

"I don't really like beer, though."

"Well, it's up to you."

Mallory sighed and thought for a moment. "Maybe I'll get a margarita," she concluded. "I've never had one of those."

"That's tequila," Duke said. "Think you can handle that?"

Mallory paused, then asked him quietly, "What exactly _is_ tequila?"

"Are you serious?"

Before she could retort, Hank came up to them. He was a tall, burly man, completely bald with a graying goatee. "Well, well," he said, addressing Duke. "You finally brought a friend."

"Mal, this is Hank," said Duke. "He owns the place."

"And manages and serves," Hank added. "A pleasure, Miss McMallard."

Mallory, somewhat shocked by the warm welcome, accepted the hand he had extended to her. "Nice to meet you," she replied. "Are you a hockey fan?"

"Not until _you_ showed up, I wasn't. Never thought I'd see aliens, never thought aliens would like hockey, of all things – or beer, for that matter. But then Duke wandered in here one night, and now he's one of my best customers. Strange world, isn't it?"

"I'm one of your best customers? That's just sad, Hank."

"It's true. You pay for your drinks, got proper etiquette. Can't tell ya how many troublemakers I've had to throw out of here."

"You know, some people don't really like to have us around," said Mallory. "At all."

"Well, that's a shame," said Hank. "I can tell you ducks have merit, probably more than most of the folks around here. I couldn't care less where you come from so long as you're civil. Now, what can I get for you?"

"I'll have my usual," said Duke. "Mal?"

"Uh..." Mallory gave him a questioning glance, and he just shrugged.

"Whatever you want."

"I guess I'll have a margarita," she told Hank.

"Excellent choice," he replied. "Be right back."

"He seems nice," Mallory remarked as he returned to the bar.

"Good old Hank," said Duke. "Feels weird to be welcome in a place like this, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. You know what I've realized?"

"What?"

"Most, but not all, of the humans are idiots."

Duke chuckled. "You've been hangin' out with Nosedive too much."

"Ugh, tell me about it."

Hank came back a minute later with a beer and a margarita and set them on the table. "Here ya are. On the house, by the way."

"Are you sure?" said Duke.

"How often do I get celebrities in here?" Hank replied. "You enjoy yourselves. Let me know if you want anything else."

"Thanks, Hank."

"Yeah, thanks."

"No problem."

Hank went back to the bar, and Duke waited as Mallory stared down at her drink. Then she took a small sip and her face contorted into a grimace. "Wow," she muttered.

Duke did his best not to grin. "You like it?"

"Yeah, it's great."

"Just out of curiosity, when was the last time you had a drink?"

"The Stanley Cup party."

"And before that?"

"Uh... sometime back on Puckworld?"

"Okay, never mind. Just take it slow, will ya?"

"We did agree that you'd drive us back, didn't we?"

"Yeah, well, no offense, Mal, but you're on the dainty side of the lightweights, and I'm not takin' you anywhere on a duck-cycle if you get all..." Duke twirled his hair around his finger and made a high-pitched giggle. "All right?"

Mallory just gave him a blank stare. "Please don't ever do that again."

"Hey, I'm serious."

"Duke L'Orange, are you babying me?"

"You didn't know what tequila was a minute ago."

"Well, some of us aren't familiar with Earth's endless selection of drinks, okay?"

"And that's why I'm here."

Mallory glowered at him. "Look, if I start acting... weird... you can take this away from me. Deal?"

"Deal. And you'll thank me later."

"I'm thanking you now."

"Cheers, then?"

"Cheers."

Minutes dragged by. The two ducks chatted casually off and on about trivial things, and whatever tension that might have been lingering between them slowly melted away. Soon Duke was lounging in his chair and ranting about Nosedive's constant antics, which Mallory found amusing despite the day's events. But after a while, when they hit a pause in their conversation, she just stared silently down at her glass, seemingly deep in thought.

"What's on your mind, Mal?" Duke said.

"Do you think we'll ever get back home?" she asked seriously.

"'Course we will," he replied. "Why wouldn't we?"

"We destroyed the Raptor's generator."

"If Dragaunus managed to get an entire ship out of the water before we could get to it, I'm sure he can fix the generator."

"But what if he can't?"

"Well, there's gotta be another way back."

"It's Earth, Duke."

"I know. I know it's been hard for everyone lately. It's just– Can we forget about that right now? We're supposed to be havin' a good time."

"You're right. Sorry." Mallory sighed. "Drinks and weighty conversations don't go together, do they?"

"Eh, I wouldn't recommend it."

She took another sip of her drink, then asked suddenly, "Hey, how come you never call me 'kid'?"

Duke almost choked on the last of his beer before composing himself and looking at her oddly. "What?"

"Well, you call Nosedive 'kid', and Tanya, and even Wildwing sometimes."

"It's just a nickname. You know how I am."

"But you never call _me_ that. And, you know, Wildwing and Tanya are older than me."

"That's true," he said after a moment's thought.

"So...?" she prompted.

Duke sighed deeply as he searched for the right words. "I don't know. I guess you always just _seemed_ older – mentally, I mean. Ya know, you've always been independent. I knew that from the second I met you. Tanya and Wildwing are different. They're always doubtin' themselves, they need someone to keep 'em goin'. Usually that's me, and I love 'em for it. But you, you've never needed anyone, not like they do anyway..." He trailed off, then chuckled dryly. "You never needed _me_. Never looked to me for anything in the world. So I guess to me, you're just... different. I don't see you as a kid, never did."

"Hm." Mallory stared down at the table, absently fiddling with her straw as she considered this.

"'Course," Duke added, "I'm still seventeen in my mind, so–"

"Well, that explains a lot."

He just laughed. "Nah. I like to think I'm young at heart, but not that young."

She chuckled quietly. Then she groaned and ran her hand over her face.

"How you doin'?" Duke asked her.

"My head feels so weird," she said.

"Good weird or bad weird?"

"Like Nosedive's flying the Aerowing inside it... and crashing."

"Okay, maybe you should stop there."

"I'm not even close to drunk, Duke."

"Did you wanna be?"

Mallory eyed her drink, then pushed it toward him. "Oh, take it. I don't even want any more."

He took her glass, noting with some amusement that she had only drank half, then took a sip for himself and set it by his empty bottle. The light above them flickered again, then it went out. Mallory glanced at it with minor annoyance, but Duke ignored this and looked around the bar. The bikers had left and they were now alone, save for Hank.

"Well, looks like it's just us," he said. "Hey, you up for some 8-ball?"

"Mm-hmm." Mallory nodded, rubbing her temples, and stood up slowly. "You know, I think I'll pass on the margarita next time."

"Yeah, that might be for the best," Duke replied, steering her toward the pool table. "You playin' solids or stripes?"

"I don't care."

"I'm stripes, then."

As he set up the game, she planted her elbows on the table, resting her beak on her fists and staring off into space.

"Do you want somethin' else to drink?" he asked her. "Like a soda, maybe?"

"I want water," she said.

"Okay. Here, you can break." He gave her a cue and went to the bar. "Can I have some water, Hank?"

"Sure," said Hank. "How's your friend?"

"Uh, she's not much of a drinker."

There was a loud thud as Mallory knocked one of the balls off the table.

"I see," Hank said, handing him a glass of water. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Duke picked up the stray ball and gave the glass to Mallory. "Get a bit overzealous there, sweetheart?"

"You know I suck at pool," she said flatly. "Deal with it."

"Half a margarita – unbelievable," Duke muttered to himself. He took the other cue and lined up his shot. "Just try not to take my other eye out, all right?"

"No promises, patchy."

Duke gave a wry chuckle. "Did you just call me 'patchy'?" Mallory smirked at him, and he narrowed his eye in mock offense. "Well, I was gonna go easy on ya, but now..." He sunk the 9-nine ball in the side pocket. "You're goin' down."

They played several rounds. To no one's surprise, Duke won all of them. Mallory didn't seem to care, and aside from occasional small talk, neither of them said much.

Finally, though, as Duke was once again on his last turn, Mallory decided to break the silence. "So, is this where you go when you disappear?"

"Sometimes," he said, preparing to sink the 8-ball. "There's other places."

"Like where?"

He looked up. "You wanna see?"

Mallory glanced around, then leaned over the table and said in a low voice, "Is it somewhere nicer than here?"

"Eh, depends on your definition of nice."

"Why are you always so vague?"

Duke just smirked. "Keeps things interesting."

After a moment of thought, Mallory set her cue back on the table and started for the door. "All right, let's go."

"You up for a ride? It's kind of far."

"I don't have anywhere else to be."

"Hold up there, Mal." Duke sunk the 8-ball with a smug grin. "And I win. Again."

"Oh, shut up," Mallory grumbled.

"Good night, Hank," Duke said as he followed her out.

"Yeah, good night, Hank," Mallory said, waving to him cheerfully.

"'Night," said Hank. "Hey, maybe you can bring the whole team sometime, eh?"

"Yeah, I'll try," Duke replied.

He and Mallory returned to the duck-cycle. She put on her visor and placed her hands on his shoulders as he started the engine.

"You sure you're good to go?" he asked her.

"Do you think I'd get on if I wasn't?" she replied.

He regarded her for a moment. "Just hold on tight."

Mallory rolled her eyes, but she wrapped her arms around his waist anyway, and he drove off into the night.


	2. Where Duke Goes

"Where are we going?" Mallory asked over the roar of the duck-cycle. They were now out of Anaheim and cruising through the hills, and Duke had yet to reveal anything about their destination.

"You'll see," he said.

After going several miles, he pulled off the road at the foot of a wooded hill and turned off the engine. "Okay, this is where we get off."

"What are you doing?"

"You wanted to see where I go, I'm showin' ya. Unless you just wanna go back."

Mallory scanned the hillside, confused. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but she knew Duke wouldn't come this far for no reason. Reluctantly intrigued, she got off the duck-cycle. "You have this annoying habit of piquing my curiosity, L'Orange," she told him.

"Yeah, I know," he replied. He parked the duck-cycle behind some bushes and started up the hill. "This way."

Mallory followed close behind as he led her through the forest. There was no trail, not one that she could see anyway, but Duke expertly picked his way through the underbrush as easily as if he was walking down the street.

Unfortunately for Mallory, it was dark, so dark that she could hardly see him under the cover of the trees. In some places she could hardly see at all and kept stumbling. The third time she tripped, she sighed audibly in frustration and Duke tromped back to help her up.

"You okay?" he asked.

"You realize I can't see in the dark, right?" she replied crossly.

"Well, I didn't really think to bring a flashlight," he said. "Look, this is stupid. Let's go back. I don't know what I was thinkin', draggin' you out here like this."

"I don't want to go back."

"Are you sure?"

"If we go back now," Malloy said, dusting herself off, "how will I ever know where the elusive Duke L'Orange sneaks off to in the middle of the night?"

"Well, I wouldn't wanna start another scandal, would I?" Duke replied, matching her smug expression. "I can bring you back anytime you want, Mal."

Mallory offered him her hand. "Lead on, L'Orange."

"All right, then, soldier." He started off again, leading her on slowly. "Branch."

The warning came too late, as she walked straight into it.

"That means duck."

"Yeah, thanks."

Duke hoped she couldn't see him grinning.

They trudged on, steadily making their way upward. After a while, they came to break in the trees. Not far ahead, Mallory could now see an observatory up on the crest of a rocky hill, old and seemingly abandoned.

They ascended the staircase that zigzagged up to it, which Duke assured her was perfectly safe, even though it wobbled with nearly every step. At the top, he shoved the old door open, the noise echoing through the huge dome as he and Mallory crept in. It was a large but simple observatory, now housing nothing except leaves and dirt and whatever else had blown in over the years. Some bats flew out through the open panel in the roof where a telescope would have been poised at one point. Below this, another door hung open on broken hinges and led out onto a balcony suspended over the cliffside.

"Okay, so maybe it's not quite as nice as the bar," Duke said.

Mallory chuckled, more from astonishment than his remark. "How did you find this?"

"I was... feelin' adventurous one night."

She looked at him incredulously.

"It's a long story," he said. "Come here."

They went out to the balcony, which groaned and creaked in protest. Below them, the forest splayed out over the hills for miles, illuminated brightly by the moonlight.

"Wow," Mallory breathed.

"Sure beats the roof of the Pond, doesn't it?" said Duke.

"So you come all the way out here by yourself?"

"From time to time. Is that weird?"

"No, it's pretty cool, actually. I can't believe you never mentioned this before."

Duke leaned casually on the rail. "Mal, I'm secretive by nature," he said, donning his signature grin. "You should know that by now."

"Yeah, secretive to a fault sometimes," she replied evenly.

"Eh, maybe," he said. "Or maybe I just like havin' my own little, uh..."

"Hideout?"

"I was gonna say home away from home."

"Isn't that the Pond?"

"Okay, it's my hideout. Old habits, ya know?"

"Well, I like that you have a hideout. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"I know you won't."

They both grew quiet, looking out over the forest as the wind tossed their hair and ruffled their feathers.

"So," Mallory said at length, "when we go back to Puckworld, what are you gonna do?"

"I don't know," said Duke. "I'll have to start over, I guess."

"You're not gonna stay with the Special Forces?"

"I got nothin' but respect for the Forces, Mal, but I don't know if that's a good place for me."

"But you've already done so much."

"Yeah, during the war. When we go back, I won't be stealin' supplies or sabotagin' warships. You know who I am. I'm not a soldier."

"You could be."

"A lousy one, sure."

"I mean it, Duke."

Duke sighed. "I don't know. I'd have to think about it."

"Well, I'd put in a good word for you if you wanted to stay."

"I'll hold you to that, then, if that's how things turn out."

Mallory wrapped her arms around herself as another gust swept through.

"You cold?" Duke asked.

"A little," she said.

"Want my coat?"

Mallory scoffed. "No."

"You sure?"

"Maybe."

Duke took off his trench coat and draped it over her shoulders. "You're gettin' too used to the California air, Mal."

She wrapped herself in his coat, growing quiet again. "What if we never go home?" she said. "Seriously, just think about it for a minute."

"I _have_ thought about it," he said quietly. "Thought about it a lot, actually."

"What would you do?"

He took a moment to answer. "I would keep movin' forward, try to make the best of it. Earth isn't _all_ bad, ya know. For what it's worth, I think it's beautiful."

Mallory gazed out at the forest again. "It is. Sometimes it seems like paradise."

Duke put his arm around her shoulders. It was a familiar gesture, one she didn't mind, but she tensed slightly at the sudden contact.

"I'm sure everything'll work out," he said. "Eventually."

Mallory moved in closer to him. He took his hand off her almost instinctively, but she just let her head rest on his shoulder. Shocked, he tentatively put his hand back, the tiniest hint of a smile appearing on his beak.

Their moment of peace didn't last long, however, as they both realized that the creaking of the balcony had grown much louder.

"Does it always make this much noise?" Mallory asked.

"Uh... no."

Before either of them had time to react, there was a loud _crack,_ and the rotting boards gave way beneath them. They fell straight through the balcony and onto a rocky ledge not far below. Duke landed on his back and Mallory landed squarely on top of him. Hard.

After some coughing, she managed to find her voice. "Are you okay?"

"In a word, maybe," Duke said hoarsely. "Can you move your knee, please?"

"What? _Oh._" Suddenly aware of their compromising position, Mallory rolled off him. "Sorry."

"It's fine."

They laid there for a while catching their breath, staring up at the gaping hole in the balcony.

"Are we cursed?" Mallory asked seriously.

"I'd say we're lucky, all things considered," Duke replied. "At least _you_ had a soft landing."

"You're not that soft."

He looked at her, smirking. "Is that a compliment?"

"No."

He chuckled. Then, after a beat, "You got my coat all dirty." She kicked him in the leg. "Ow! Hey, don't I got enough bruises?"

It was Mallory's turn to smirk. She got up, and Duke pushed himself up slowly, groaning.

"Yep, that's gonna leave a mark," he said dryly.

Mallory brushed off his coat with a pointed look and gave it back to him. He put it on, eyeing the hole in the balcony while she scanned the steep cliff face below.

"Well, I suppose we can't go down," she said, before another piece of rotten wood thumped down beside her.

"Up isn't lookin' too good, either," he replied. He pressed the button on his belt and his coat transformed into his jumpsuit, complete with his grappling hook. "Should be fine, though."

Mallory looked up at the balcony. "Do you think that'll hold?"

"Well, only part of it's broken," Duke said, and she just glared at him. "What's the worst that could happen?"

She wanted to object, but then realized she didn't have a better idea. Duke shot the grappling hook into one of the balcony's support beams. He tugged on the cable to make sure it was secure, then extended an arm to Mallory. She wrapped her arms firmly around his neck.

"Hold on tight."

"Stop saying that."

As the cable drew them up, the balcony continued to creak unnervingly, but it held. After carefully climbing back up, the two ducks stood in the observatory, looking out at the broken balcony.

"I guess my hideout isn't so perfect anymore," Duke said.

"It just needs a little work," Mallory replied. Then another piece of the balcony disappeared and clattered onto the ledge below, followed by several more until it was little more than some precariously placed boards. "Or _a lot_ of work," she corrected, and Duke just chuckled. "It really is a cool place, though. Thanks for showing me."

"Well, my hideout is your hideout, sweetheart," he said. "If you ever feel like you need to get away for a while, or you just want somewhere to think or... whatever..."

They both fell silent as they realized they were now inches apart, their beaks almost touching. He moved a bit closer, and so did she.

Then she dropped her gaze. "We should probably head back," she said quietly.

"Yeah, we should," he replied, stepping back. "Come on."


	3. The End?

"What a night, huh?" Duke said as he got off the duck-cycle, now back in the Pond's garage.

"Yeah," said Mallory. "We should do this again sometime."

He looked at her in disbelief, holding his aching back. "Are you kiddin' me?"

"I mean, I could do without the falling."

"And drinkin'?"

"That's... debatable."

Duke chuckled. "Yeah."

"But I had a good time. Thanks for that."

"Anytime, sweetheart."

Mallory shuffled uneasily for a moment. "Duke?"

"Yeah?"

She hesitated.

Then, before she could say anything more, Nosedive jumped out from behind some crates. "Traitor!" he yelled. Mallory jumped, Duke bit back a curse, and he stormed up to them.

"Nosedive?" Mallory said, more shocked than annoyed.

"I can't believe you just left me like that," he said angrily.

"Well, what did you want me to do?" she retorted.

"Oh, I don't know," said Nosedive. "Maybe _tell_ me you left with Duke so I don't have to spend the night in a _broom closet!_"

"Oh, yeah." Mallory looked smug. "Guess I forgot about that."

Nosedive glared at her.

"You know I was never really lookin' for ya, right?" Duke chimed in.

"Yeah, I got that. Well played," he replied coolly, before shifting back to Mallory. "He was in on it the whole time, wasn't he? I should've known you would rat me out. You're just _too good_ to steal his precious secrets, aren't you?"

"Nosedive, I went along with your whole stupid plan until it failed, okay?"

"She's not lyin', Dive."

Nosedive paused. "So you were never really mad at us."

"Well, I did tell Mallory off after you ran away like a wuss. But then we went out for drinks and you locked yourself in a closet, so we'll just call it even."

"Okay, you know what? That's just– Wait, did you just say you went out for drinks?"

"Yeah."

"Yep."

Nosedive paused again to consider this. "Okay, follow-up question," he said, plucking a twig out of Mallory's hair. "Why do you look like you rolled around in a ditch?"

"Uh–"

"It was more like a big hill," said Duke.

Nosedive continued to stare at them with an expression of utter confusion. "Okay, back up, let me get this straight. You two – _you two –_ went out for drinks _together_..."

They nodded.

"Like at a bar..."

"If you use the word 'bar' loosely," said Mallory.

"And there was also a big hill somewhere where you... what?"

"We just, uh, lost our footing," Duke said dismissively.

"And fell," Mallory added.

"No big deal."

Still confused, Nosedive looked back and forth between them, then burst out, "Did I miss something here?!"

"Nosedive," Mallory said, clamping his beak shut, "_please_ stop talking. I have a massive headache, and I'm going to bed now, so good night."

She walked off without another word, and Duke followed her, giving Nosedive a pat on the shoulder. "'Night, kid. No hard feelings, all right?"

Nosedive, still bewildered, watched them walk to the elevator, side by side, weirdly close. He wondered if he should just let them go, let them discuss their mysterious escapade alone and not bother them about it. He probably owed Duke that much at least.

But on the other hand...

"Hey, I want some details," he said, trotting after them. "Like how did you fall down a hill? Were you drunk or something?"

"Oh, yeah," said Duke. "We got totally wasted and decided to go mountain-climbin'. It was amazing."

Nosedive scowled. "Fine, don't tell me."

"Exactly how long were you in that closet for?"

"Shut up."

They stepped into the elevator and Nosedive punched the button, sulking. As the doors closed, Duke glanced at Mallory. "Did you wanna tell me somethin' before?" he asked her quietly.

"It can wait," she said.

"Hey, don't mind me," said Nosedive, leaning lazily against the wall. "Whatever's going on with you two, I don't care."

"There's nothing going on," said Mallory.

"Uh-huh," Nosedive replied flatly. "Just sayin'."

As he stared blankly at the doors, Mallory inched closer to Duke, ever so subtly taking his hand in hers. When the doors opened, she stepped out of the elevator without so much as a glance at him. Nosedive followed her, but Duke stayed behind, staring after her with a far-off look in his eye.

"Yo, Duke," Nosedive said, looking back, "you coming or what?"

Duke stepped out of the elevator, an almost imperceptible smile on his beak. Nosedive noticed this, but he didn't say anything. He had decided it was best not to pry into Duke's secrets.

For now at least.


End file.
